Chinese FM holds phone talks with French president's diplomatic counselor

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday held a phone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, at the latter's request.

The two sides exchanged views mainly on the Ukraine issue.

Bonne said that France has always adhered to an independent foreign policy and will not fall into the logic of bloc politics.

France has always been committed to creating and maintaining peace, and is communicating with various parties including Russia on major issues such as Ukraine's achieving neutrality and obtaining security guarantees, he added.

France attaches great importance to China's views on the current situation, and is ready to make joint efforts with China to promote peace talks, realize a ceasefire and resolve the crisis, said Bonne.

Wang said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has held many phone conversations with President Macron and leaders of other countries, and comprehensively expounded China's principled position on the Ukraine issue.

China also looks forward to an early ceasefire and the restoration of peace, and has been making unremitting efforts to this end in its own way, he added.

At the same time, China believes that all parties should work to create the necessary environment and conditions for advancing peace talks, facilitating peace and negotiations instead of fanning flames, he said.

One cannot call for ceasefire and cessation of war while sending large quantities of advanced weapons and equipment to further escalate the war, and likewise, one can not claim to support dialogue and peace talks while at the same time unscrupulously imposing unilateral sanctions and provoking further escalation of tensions, Wang said.

Noting that the Ukraine issue has its roots in Europe's security imbalance, Wang said that the principle of indivisible security should be adhered to, and a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework should be rebuilt.

Only by doing so can Europe truly achieve lasting peace and stability, he added.

Wang also said that China supports the French side in upholding Europe's strategic autonomy and letting the European people take the continent's destiny into their own hands, adding China appreciates France's nonrecognition of the logic of bloc politics, and meanwhile believes the Cold War mentality should not be allowed to resurge.

Humankind has entered the 21st century, in which the interests of all countries are intertwined and interdependent, Wang pointed out, noting China stands ready to work with France to strengthen strategic cooperation and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Both sides are deeply concerned about the spillover effects of the Ukraine crisis.

Bonne introduced France's initiative on tackling the global food security crisis and expressed the hope to strengthen coordination between the two sides in the Group of 20 (G20), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and other multilateral mechanisms.

Wang said that the international community should form synergy and speak with one voice to jointly deal with the global food shortage and the humanitarian crisis that may result from it.